I am a fire buff. Perhaps not as hardcore a buff as I used to be, but I'm still a buff nonetheless.
I was very young when I became a buff. Probably about 6 or 7 years old. I remember being in the car with my dad driving one time and seeing the fire trucks stopped at a house on the next street over from mine. I had to know what was going on, and I made him take me over to look! It turned out to be just a downed power line, but still I was fascinated. Soon it became a past time of ours to follow the fire trucks and ambulances every chance we got. When I was about 10 or 11 I got my first fire scanner. I put my local frequencies in it and from there my interest in the fire department intensified.
I used to be a chaser. I would hear the call go out and ride my bike to the scene. I often beat the ambulance to the call, but wasn't so lucky with fire calls, because the fire units always have a faster response time. I've been to every kind of call you can imagine - everything from cut fingers to chest pain patients to infants in cardiac arrest. I went to so many calls I had it down to a science. I knew where to stand so that I was both out of the way and in a position from which I could see everything that was going on. I really enjoyed it.
I don't go to calls anymore. I'm joining the fire dept. relatively soon, so I figured it was high time to call it quits. I just hope they don't recognize me from my days as a chaser. If they do they might not vote me in. If they question me about it I'll just say it was a childhood hobby that was driven by interest in the dept. I doubt they'll have a problem with that.
About Me
- icemanof92
- I'm Tim. I am an EMT student, a nursing student, and a volunteer with my fire department's rescue squad. I am happy with my life at the moment, but don't plan on getting too comfortable where I am (both physically/geographically and in life in general), because big changes are in the works for the next few years. Lets see where that goes...
2 comments:
Ahhh...you're a 'lookie lou', a 'rubbernecker'! Yeah, I'm familiar with those; I see them from time to time at work. They're mostly neighbors of the person I'm working on, though...arriving in a big white bow with flashing lights and sirens tends to draw attention - and people love drama.
Here's something for you to think about: why do you want to be a firefighter and/or a medic? What draws you to this particular profession?
For me, the decision to go into EMS was an easy one. I was in nursing school, working for a hospice and doing some private duty care as well, and I came to the conclusion that if I stayed in nursing I'd end up being nothing more than a glorified ass-wiper and drug-pusher. I didn't want that, I wanted to feel like I made a bigger difference than I was already making (hospice care is great, but it's emotionally difficult. I tend to bond with people pretty quickly so for me, helping a patient die was akin to losing a friend). So, I went to EMT school instead and it's a decision I'm incredibly glad I made.
Welcome to the world of medic and firefighter blogs - there's an awful lot of experience on these blogs; make use of it. Some of the people whose blogs I read actually helped me pass my National registry practical finals!
Wow. I'm surprised you don't hate me. I have heard very few positive opinions of "lookie lous" as you call them. But maybe you understand that I didn't do it to be annoying or nosy or anything like that, but because I was fascinated with everything that was going on.
I have thought about why I want to go into EMS and at this point I think it boils down to this: I want to help people, and I have always been at my best in a crisis. I have had to deal with quite afew emergency situations in my life both at home and at work, and I've always been able to stay calm and do whatever needed to be done. And ofcourse I'm an adrenaline junkie ;)
And it's funny that you mention that nurses are "glorified ass wipers and drug pushers" because nursing is a career I am considering seriously, but being a professional EMT is another one I'm thinking about.
Well thanks for making me think! By the way, I think your blog is the shit!
Post a Comment